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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26922328">Stand Tall</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3'>Random_Nerd3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JatP Whumptober 2020 [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Band Group Hands, Day 9, Episode: s01e09 - Stand Tall, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, I STAN HER, I Tried, Julie Molina - Centric, Run, SHE IS A QUEEN, Whumptober 2020, soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:13:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26922328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the Orpheum performance Julie visits the garage to get closure on her boys.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex &amp; Julie Molina &amp; Luke Patterson &amp; Reggie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JatP Whumptober 2020 [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>115</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stand Tall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The performance at the Orpheum was both the best and the worst experience of Julie’s life. She played the Orpheum, the freaking </span>
  <em>
    <span>Orpheum</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and she was still running high from the energy she got from performing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stand Tall</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Julie stood in front of the garage doors, air heavy around her. Her boys were gone. Not ghosts, not in Caleb’s club… they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The endorphins of the performance left her as she slowly pulled one of the doors open with a creak. Julie took a hesitant step forward. She didn’t know what she wanted to say, just that she wanted to be close to her boys… as close as she could be with them gone. Part of her wanted to run away, lock the garage down, and pretend nothing ever happened… but she knew she’d never be able to do it. “Hey guys,” Julie said, unable to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “I just - I wanted you to know how much you mean - how much you meant to me. Thank you,” she said, voice cracking. “For everything.” She turned around to walk back to the house then Reggie’s voice cut through the air,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dude.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Luke complained. Two of her boys were here, her boys were here and they were in pain. Panic curdled in the pit of Julie’s stomach as she rushed across the floor and flicked on the lights. The lightbulb flickered on to reveal her boys lying on top of each other in the center of the studio. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Julie thought, panic seeping into her core as she rushed forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Luke said, face twisted and contorted in pain. Julie rushed to his side, kneeling on the ground next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you crossover?” Julie cried, brushing a hand through Luke’s hair. “I thought you three crossed over.” Luke looked up at her, eyes shining with an apology,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Luke said, grimacing in pain. “We just…” he trailed off and looked at Reggie and Alex,  we didn’t have anywhere else to go.” The four of them fell to silence, then another jolt rushed through them, knocking them all back onto the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Playing the Orpheum wasn’t our unfinished business,” Alex said, wrapping an arm around his stomach. Reggie groaned in pain, then pulled his knees to his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Point Caleb,” Reggie said, sounding defeated, sounding hopeless.  Julie stood up to address the three of them,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to go!” Julie cried out, trying to get her boys someplace safe. “Go to Caleb’s club! Please, you don’t deserve this, no one deserves this!” Reggie coughed as he pulled himself up, using the rocking chair for support.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t going back there,” Reggie said, shaking his head. Julie could only watch helplessly as another jolt pulsed through her boys. Alex and Reggie fell to their knees, Alex’s fannypack falling off his shoulder and hitting the floor beside him. Julie choked a sob when she tried to grab Luke’s shoulders, but fell through him on the floor. The rush of cold she felt was nothing compared to the crushing feeling of alone-ness she wasn’t ready to feel again when the only good thing in her life disappears again. Her boys, because they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> boys. They’ve been through too much for them to not be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to run, go to Caleb!” Julie shouted, turning away from them in case they</span>
  <em>
    <span> did</span>
  </em>
  <span> leave. “Run, it’s the only way for you to survive. The only way for you to stay safe!” She turned around and her dumbass idiotic self-sacrificing himbo boys were still lying on the studio floor. Luke struggled, but he managed to stand up and walk to her, reaching up to cup her face. His hand passes through her head and she sobs again. They need to run, they need to leave… they need to stay </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Why couldn’t they understand that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not running Julie,” Luke said, dropping his hand after numerous failed attempts. Alex rubbed his chest as he nodded,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not anymore.” Something in Julie broke at the same time she felt a spark, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. Luke’s eyes met hers and he said,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No music is worth making Julie, if we’re not making it with you.” She pushed through her pain and launched herself at Luke, somehow managing to wrap her arms around his waist. She put the confusion of being able to touch him aside, and buried her face into his chest. After a brief moment of hesitation Luke wrapped his own arms around her, solid and </span>
  <em>
    <span>present</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Julie sniffled then dropped her arms and grabbed Luke’s hand to ensure she wasn’t dreaming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s happening?” Julie asked, looking up at him. He looked equally as confused as she did. Julie reached up and cupped his face and he leaned into her touch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Luke said with a hint of hope in his voice. “But I feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>stronger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” If Julie was being honest, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>looked</span>
  </em>
  <span> stronger, color was filling his cheeks, more than before the jolts started attacking them. He stood up straighter, his eyes sparkled more, he looked more </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Julie motioned for Reggie and Alex to join them. The two other members of their band scampered across the studio to join in the group hug in time for them to start glowing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you guys,” Julie said as Luke, Reggie, and Alex crushed her in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>best</span>
  </em>
  <span> group hug she ever had in her life. Once the bright light disappeared they hesitantly let go of each other to test to see if they were still there. Her boys weren’t gone, Caleb’s stamps disappeared, the boys were </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>, they were alive. The all broke out into small chuckles as Alex asked,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we try that hug thing again?” Julie nodded, too happy to say anything. They all collapsed into each other, thanking whoever decided to keep the four of them together.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yell at me on Tumblr: @Random-Nerd-3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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